Kevin Pietersen might have reportedly apologised over derogatory texts he is alleged to have sent about England team-mates during the Headingley Test but that did not stop Andrew Strauss from being aghast he has "aired dirty laundry in public".
Pietersen was said last night to have apologised to the England and Wales Cricket Board, but there was still no confirmation from them that the batsman had acceded to their request to either deny the existence of the texts or say sorry for them.
Former England captain Alec Stewart told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm hearing he's now apologised but hasn't had any confirmation back from the ECB."
Strauss is shocked by Pietersen's behaviour, as the wrangle over the South Africa-born batsman's England and Wales Cricket Board contract has escalated into a full-blown crisis.
It is an understatement to say Pietersen's timing is badly off, creating vexed distraction just when Strauss' England must concentrate on beating South Africa at Lord's to salvage a shared Investec Series and therefore their world number one Test status.
Pietersen was dropped on Sunday, of course, having failed to either publicly deny or apologise for texts he reportedly sent to the opposition during the drawn Leeds Test - which, it is further alleged, contain derogatory remarks about his own team.
Hours after Stuart Broad had been forced to issue a statement via the ECB to declare he had no association with the parody Twitter feed which so upset Pietersen, it all got too much for Strauss to stomach - and he too decided to speak out.
"I've always got on with Kevin," he told Sky Sports last night. "I've tried to be honest with him; he's been honest with me.
"That's why this has all been a bit of a surprise to me. I think the discontent that Kevin had with the board over his contract situation was one that the players didn't get involved in - and I didn't really get involved in, if I'm honest.
"But over the last week I have had to get involved, because there have been issues a little bit more central to his relationship with the other players and our ability to perform out in the middle."
Read More
Points of principle are at stake for Strauss, and coach Andy Flower, who have formed a successful management axis in an era of notable success for England.
"Firstly, I'm a big believer in not airing dirty laundry in public," he added. "It's one of our core values in our team that what goes on in the dressing room stays in the dressing room.
"Any time anyone has fallen foul of that they have been disciplined - and rightly so. It's about mutual respect and trust, and that is a core issue that is central to resolving this."
MORE ABOUT